A return to New Zealand means a return to the boatyard. We have a lot of upgrades, repairs, and general maintenance to do at Norsand Boatyard.
The slipway team with Kevin and Shane handle our haul out with expertise and professionalism!
We arrived in NZ with an exceptionally clean bottom (hull) when we arrived 18 days ago. However, we spent those 18 days up river tied to a dock with warm, stagnant water. These conditions are perfect for growing barnacles on our nice clean boat.
The good news: the yard pressure washed the boat immediately after haul out. Matt and I (mostly Matt) spent days scraping the barnacle feet off the hulls so we could see where we needed to touch up the Coppercoat. We do plan to burnish the bottom before we splash.
We have so many projects to accomplish in a short amount of time. We have had to hire several different contractors in addition to the experts at Norsand.
Contractor Projects
- Repair: Port fresh water tank needs to be repainted
- Repair: Bottom of hull needs to be repaired due to reef scratches
- Repair: Port rudder arm attachment needs to be replaced
- Repair Canvas: Genoa bolt rope, aft shade, dinghy chaps, helm seat, 2-window shades, 3-back rests
- Maintenance: Saildrives need to be serviced, gear oil changed, seals near props changed
- Maintenance: Props need to be services, cleaned, and slightly adjusted
- Maintenance: Paint crossbeam and martingale
- Maintenance: Re-varnish (2) princess seats, (2) handrails, (4) swim steps
- Maintenance: Burnish bottom of the boat
- Maintenance: Paint saildrives and props with Prop Speed
- Maintenance: Apply vinyl to rudder entry
- Upgrade: New window covers
- Upgrade: New Solar Arch
- Upgrade: New Solar Panels
- Upgrade: New (2) Air Conditioning units
- Upgrade: New Helm station extensions to fit new chart plotters
- Upgrade: New Raymarine Mounts to fit gauge on helm
- Upgrade: New rain flashing for the 4 large windows
Matt and Christine’s Projects
- Paint (2) bow peak lockers (scrape, sand, clean, paint)
- Clean stainless chain and re-mark 10m sections
- Replace large zincs
- Add freon to refrigerator and defrost freezer
- Deep clean oven and stove
- Paint security camera and cockpit clutch
- Replace stickers on daggerboards
- Sew: New helm covers, rail protectors, princess seat covers, cover for backrest
- Polish all exterior and interior stainless
- Clean and oil all exterior (hatch covers, sugar scoops) and interior (floors, walls, cabinets, tables) teak
- Deep clean or re-organize entire boat
- Prepare for insurance survey
The Plan
Our goal is to be out of the yard in 45 days but more likely it will be 90 days. However, Norsand will close the yard for nearly 3 weeks during our haul out.
Matt and I will focus on the contractor work for the first 5 weeks. We will work on our smaller projects in between our project management and overseeing of projects.
When Norsand closes we will focus on our larger projects.
We worked in the Norsand boatyard from 10 November 2025 – 12 January 2026.
Find Norsand Boatyard on No Foreign Land.
Check out the quirky things to do in Whangarei.